Names: ____________________________ Year and Section: ______________

Date: ____________ Score: ________

Assignment on Figures of Speech

Directions: Working with a partner, read the following paragraph and 1) underline the figures of speech and put a number
below. 2) at the back label each number as: simile, metaphor, euphemism, oxymoron, onomatopoeia and/or
alliteration.

He started out as a paid volunteer for the Cocamamy Crudgeon Company and worked himself into a temporary
full-time position. The building he worked in was a huge, monolithic structure that seemed to spring up from the cement
like a huge pointing finger. In the listless lilting liposuction of life this was a job of Lilliputian proportions.
At first, he liked the position, but lately his boss seemed politely insulting towards Him, which caused him to
respond in a passive aggressive manner. The relative truth of the matter was that he needed this job to pay for his
mortgage and feed his burgeoning small crowd of a family. He let out a singular silent scream of painful remorse when
his inconsiderate, insidious, incoherent, idiot of a boss asked him to work overtime for the ten-thousandth time for very
little overtime pay or gratitude from the firm. His boss started out in a low mumbled schoolmarmish tone: On the road
of life there are many crossroads and this is one of them. To live, to struggle, to work tis divine. We need your support
tonight. We cant get this project completed without your diligent determined skills that will bring closure to this project
and enable our team to bond together in a multiplicity of joyous accomplishment.
He heard the sounds, but the words seemed garbled, as if he was listening under. He had heard similar speeches
before the last 7 projects that always seemed to give a lot of attention and praise to his boss, but never anything to the
peons that labored under him. His response was also somewhat poetic as he said, that he would rather take the path
less traveled, so he would have time to smell the roses with his wife and 7 kids. He sensed that he was heading onto a
bridge over troubled waters , so he quickly added that he would only be able to work until 8:00 that evening.

The boss came back with a death stare and droned on about being a team player and reaching towards the
higher goal for the betterment of all and being all that he could be, etc.He became sadly amused at this and reached a
preliminary conclusion about his work situation. He decided to look for a job that would let him have at least a little
serious fun while he was still able. He felt that in the tree of life their needs to be at least some edible fruit to sustain him
through the harsh winters of his previous discontent. He wrote on his resume that he had been a computer insertion
specialist, which meant he had been doing drudgerous data entry diligently and dutifully for the last decade. Tic tock time
was creeping up on him he needed to strike while the iron was hot. He had rode this horse to death. It was time to get
out of Dodge.

Finish this with your own ending using a simile, oxymoron, metaphor, onomatopoeia, euphemism and/or
alliteration if you feel poetic.

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 Assignment Key Answers:

Directions: Working with a partner, read the following paragraph and 1) underline the figures of speech.
2) label them as: simile, metaphor, euphemism, oxymoron, onomatopoeia and/or alliteration

He started out as a paid volunteer for the Cocamamy Crudgeon Company and worked
alliteration
himself into a temporary full-time position. The building he worked in was a huge,
oxymoron
monolithic structure that seemed to spring up from the cement like a huge pointing
simile
finger. In the listless lilting liposuction of life this was a job of Lilliputian proportions.
alliteration
At first, he liked the position, but lately his boss seemed politely insulting towards
oxymoron
Him, which caused him to respond in a passive aggressive manner. The relative truth of
Oxymoron oxymoron
the matter was that he needed this job to pay for his mortgage and feed his burgeoning

small crowd of a family. He let out a singular silent scream of painful remorse when his
oxymoron alliteration
inconsiderate, insidious, incoherent, idiot of a boss asked him to work overtime for the
alliteration
ten-thousandth time for very little overtime pay or gratitude from the firm.
Exaggeration (hyperbole)
His boss started out in a low mumbled schoolmarmish tone: On the road of life
metaphor
there are many crossroads and this is one of them. To live, to struggle, to work tis

divine. We need your support tonight. We cant get this project completed without your

diligent determined skills that will bring closure to this project and enable our team to
alliteration metaphor
bond together in a multiplicity of joyous accomplishment.
Metaphor metaphor
He heard the sounds, but the words seemed garbled, as if he was listening under
simile
water. He had heard similar speeches before the last 7 projects that always seemed to give

a lot of attention and praise to his boss, but never anything to the peons that labored under
metaphor
him. His response was also somewhat poetic as he said, that he would rather take the

path less traveled, so he would have time to smell the roses with his wife and 7 kids.
Metaphor metaphor
Cont. Figures Paragraph
He sensed that he was heading onto a bridge over troubled waters , so he quickly added
metaphor
that he would only be able to work until 8:00 that evening.

The boss came back with a death stare and droned on about being a team player
Metaphor metaphor
and reaching towards the higher goal for the betterment of all and being all that he could
metaphor metaphor
be, etc.

He became sadly amused at this and reached a preliminary conclusion about his
oxymoron oxymoron
work situation. He decided to look for a job that would let him have at least a little

serious fun while he was still able. He felt that in the tree of life their needs to be at least
oxymoron metaphor
some edible fruit to sustain him through the harsh winters of his previous discontent. He
metaphor
wrote on his resume that he had been a computer insertion specialist, which meant he had
euphemism
been doing drudgerous data entry diligently and dutifully for the last decade. Tic tock
alliteration onomatopoei
time was creeping up on him he needed to strike while the iron was hot. He had rode this
metaphor metaphor
horse to death. It was time to get out of Dodge.
metaphor
Name:____________ Section: ________
Date:______ Score: ________

Figures of Speech Practice

Directions: Write before each number the correct figure of speech below.

A. Metaphor B. Simile C. Personification

D. Allusion E. Hyperbole

1. A comparison between two unlike things in which one is said to be another thing.
2. Giving human characteristics to nonliving things.
3. A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using the words like or as.
4. The human circulatory is like a plumbing system.
5. Life is sometimes like a circus.
6. She is as fat as a cow!
7. We made a ton of money at the yard sale.
8. His belly shook like a bowl of jelly.
9. Steves heart was a drum.
10. The hikers were swallowed by the forest.
11. It took me forever to do that homework!
12. Bob is a big teddy bear.
13. The rain was like a waterfall.
14. His muscles were rocks.
15. Her fingernails were daggers.
16. Kristy is such a scrooge when it comes to buying Christmas gifts.
17. It rained so much we may need an ark!
18. The wind spoke my name.

Try this!

Write your own two sentences using figures of speech.

1. __________________________________.
2. __________________________________.
 Answers Key:
Figures of Speech Practice

Directions: Write before each number the correct figure of speech below.

A. Metaphor B. Simile C. Personification

D. Allusion E. Hyperbole

1. a/b
2. c
3. b
4. b
5. b
6. b
7. e
8. b
9. a
10. c
11. e
12. a
13. b
14. a
15. a
16. a
17. e
18. c

Try this! (Answers Vary)

Write your own two sentences using figures of speech.

1. __________________________________.
2. __________________________________.